June 2009 Vol. 236 No. 6

Arthur H. (Art) Reine, President of Pipeline Consultants, Inc.--who has more than 50 years of experience in the pipeline industry--was named Pipeliner of the Year for 2008-2009.

As of June 15, Cameron has acquired the MaxTorque line of products and services. The business will now be offered through Cameron’s Flow Control division, part of the company’s Drilling & Production Systems group.

Deepwater Corrosion Services, in conjunction with its local partner Alduco, has set up two bases of operation to service the Offshore Market in the Gulf of Guinea.

The American Gas Association (AGA) has named Kristin Schrader Marcell as the director of communications.

The founders of Texas ReExcavation, LC, a Houston?based oilfield services company, have acquired GSPE Engineering, Inc. and formed T-Rex Engineering & Construction, LC.

Insituform Technologies, Inc. has named Kenneth L. Young as vice president and treasurer, effective April 13, 2009. Young comes to Insituform with over 30 years of experience in treasury and financial management.

ONEOK, Inc. announced June 17 that Krystal Parker, 34, will become vice president, western region for its Texas Gas Service division, effective immediately. She will be located in El Paso, Texas.

That Aubrey McClendon is some kind of salesman, isn’t he? McClendon is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chesapeake Energy Corp., one of the largest producers of natural gas in the U.S.

Recent developments in solid-state radiographic pipeline inspection equipment, primarily durable, mobile computers and solid-state image capturing devices, are raising the technique’s profile as a useful, capable way to find and assess corrosion.

Gazprom’s decision to pay higher prices for Central Asian gas will reduce the company’s short-term profits. However, the move will compensate for a slowdown in domestic gas production.

It may not be the largest or most extensive pipeline project out there, but according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Kinder-Morgan’s Rockies Express (REX) Pipeline is the largest currently under construction and members of the Commission have unofficially dubbed it, “The King of Pipelines.”

The Michels Corporation is celebrating its 50th year in business in 2009, marking its evolution from a small contractor specializing in gas pipeline construction to one of North America's largest, multi-division utility contractors.

Classes in corrosion control for pipelines and other industries are filled to capacity into the first quarter of 2010 at the NACE International training center in west Houston.

The National Association of Pipe Coating Applicators (NAPCA) elected the first female president in its history during its 45th annual convention held in April at the Westin La Paloma in Tucson, AZ.

The single-day conference drew a record 519 attendees who came to hear 15 top industry executives discuss new and ongoing pipeline projects, technological advancements to help natural gas and product pipeline operators, and a member of Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin’s pipeline team presented an overview about the long-planned Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Project.

MSI was asked by an end-user to help troubleshoot a newly commissioned critical compressor train that had begun to undergo unexplained vibration trips. These sudden vibration trips threatened to result in a substantial revenue loss for the end user.

The selection of material for any specific environment is directly dependent on the material’s properties, especially those properties that are affected by that special environment.

Demands on pipeline infrastructure are growing. Modernizing the nation’s infrastructure requires boosting existing capacity and providing new lines where additional transport is required.

This article looks at third-generation enhancements to electro-magnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) inline inspection technology for dry gas pipelines. The enhancements have been derived from five years of operational experience by GE Oil & Gas-PII.

Just about everyone, it seems, is lining up for their cut of the stimulus package billions—except of course the oil and gas sector. As a consequence, workforce planning must become more important than ever for the oil and gas companies.

In recent years, fossil fuels, particularly coal and crude oil products, have become politically incorrect. Though they account for more than 75% of all fuels used in the U.S., for a handful of reasons, some groups want to replace them.

FERC has moved closer to approving construction of one of the three big Oregon LNG projects as well as a major new pipeline in the Southeast.

Questions are arising from states and localities about requirements for spending the water infrastructure funds in the Stimulus bill, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

TransCanada filed a construction application at FERC in April for its Bison Pipeline, the latest entrant in the race to bring Rockies gas to eastern markets.

Federal Coordinator Drue Pearce, Office of the Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects (OFC), has named Vice Admiral Thomas Barrett, USCG (Ret.), as her deputy federal coordinator.

Welspun Gujarat Stahl Rohren Ltd. (WGSRL), commissioned its first manufacturing facility outside of India in Little Rock, AR on April 29.

Inpex has awarded AMEC Engineering a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for the Ichthys Gas Field Development offshore facilities.

MarkWest Energy Partners and ArcLight Capital Partners LLC have formed a joint venture to build and operate the Arkoma Connector pipeline, a 50-mile interstate pipeline.

A pipeline in Australia is the first pipeline to be completely inspected using computed radiography.

The Inter Pipeline Fund plans to invest approximately $72 million to expand oil delivery capabilities on the Bow River Pipeline system.

Beijing and Moscow have finalized an intergovernmental deal under which Russia will supply China with oil for 20 years in exchange for a $25 billion loan to Russia's state-run energy companies.

Monroe Gas Storage Company LLC announced a binding open season for up to 1.0 Bcf of firm, high deliverability storage capacity at its Monroe Gas Storage facility.

Enbridge Inc. recently completed a non-binding open season for the proposed LaCrosse Pipeline.

TDW Offshore Services AS designed and delivered a customized pipeline repair solution for StatoilHydro.

Iraq's Oil Ministry has stripped Russia's Stroitransgaz of a contract it was awarded last year to rehabilitate the Kirkuk-Banias crude export pipeline as punishment for missed deadlines.

Kazakhstan has signed an agreement to participate in a planned trans-Russia gas pipeline that would have an approximate capacity of 26-30 Bcm.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear recently joined Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo and State Senator Johnny Ray Turner in officially opening EQT Corporation's new Big Sandy natural gas pipeline.

Kurdistan said that crude oil exports will start shortly from the Tawke Field, following the completion of the tie-in of the field pipeline with the Iraq–Turkey pipeline at the border town of Fishkhabur.

Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. has signed a joint development agreement with POET to continue assessing the feasibility of constructing a dedicated ethanol pipeline.

On April 24, 2009 Midcontinent Express Pipeline (MEP) began interim service on 266 miles of 42-inch pipeline from the interconnects with Houston Pipe Line Company and Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL).

Mustang, part of international energy services company John Wood Group PLC, has completed work on a 37-mile, 14-inch hydrogen pipeline for Air Products.

Mustang, part of international energy services company John Wood Group PLC, announced June 18 that its Australian affiliate, Mustang Engineering Pty Limited, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fyfe Pty Ltd to jointly support coal seam gas/coal seam methane (CSG/CSM) projects.

Petrobras has completed negotiations with the China Development Bank (CDB) for a 10-year bilateral credit line worth $10 billion.

U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, applauded an agreement last month between Turkey and Azerbaijan to move forward on the Nabucco Pipeline project.

Russian gas exports in 2008 were little changed from the 2007 level of about 195 Bcm but gas production and exports have fallen in recent months.

Twister BV announced the successful startup of a new commercially operated Twister Supersonic Separator system June 12 in Nigeria.

Spectra Energy Partners, LP has completed the previously announced acquisition of all of the ownership interests of NOARK Pipeline System, Limited Partnership from Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P.

Subsea 7 Inc.’s subsidiary, Subsea 7 Limited, has acquired the exclusive global licence rights for a new subsea hot tap technology, known as Subsea Grouted Tee (SSGT).

T&T Bisso has salvaged a 2,000-ton inland drill barge that capsized during Hurricane Gustav in Southern Louisiana.

Pars Oil & Gas Company has taken over the upstream element of Total’s proposed integrated Pars LNG project.

According to the Anchorage Daily News, TransCanada has filed the necessary paperwork for approval to begin the work needed to get U.S. regulators' approval for its proposed multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Alberta, Canada.

Tricor Ten Section Hub, LLC announced June 16 that it has filed an application with FERC for authorization to construct and operate a high-deliverability, multi-cycle underground natural gas storage facility in Kern County, California, ten miles southwest of Bakersfield.

Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Co., or IPIC, will start pumping oil through a new pipeline that will avoid the narrow Strait of Hormuz in 2011.

A pipeline to create a strategic outlet for oil sands produced NGLs is planned by Williams in Alberta, Canada.

Well-known throughout the flow measurement industry, Jesse Yoder is founder and CEO of Flow Research, Wakefield, MA. Since 2000, he has focused principally on world markets for flow, pressure and temperature devices as they are employed in the energy business. He excels in his chosen pursuit by the force of his intelligence, his enthusiasm and his research and writing aptitude.

Cameron announced June 1 that it is acquiring process equipment company NATCO in an all-stock transfer unanimously agreed upon by the boards of both companies.

ExxonMobil and TransCanada have announced that they will be cooperating on the construction of the long-awaited Alaska Pipeline project. ExxonMobil will be taking an unspecified stake in the construction of the pipeline, while TransCanada retains the majority interest and all AGIA obligations.

Maintech International L.L.C. ™ says it will become an authorized distribution, repair and maintenance facility in the South Texas market for Flowserve® Pumps.